Karachi targeted operation a drama: Afaq

KARACHI - Terming the ongoing targeted operation a drama, Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqqiqi (MQM-H) chief Afaq Ahmed said Sunday that lazy and inefficient law enforcement agencies had given the terrorists a chance to operate freely in the city. He expressed these view while addressing a press conference at his residence in DHA phase-V here on Sunday. He said provincial government was also responsible for the raise in the terrorists’ activities in the city. Talking about the loss of lives in violence in the port city, he pointed out that during the last four years hundreds of security personnel including Rangers and police had been killed while thousands of citizen lost their live in the last two years. He said terrorists carried out at least 26 bomb attacks and there was a big raise in killings in the current month of the year.Despite these reported incidents so far, the Sindh government, Rangers and police were claiming success of the targeted operations, he said, adding the facts were totally different from claims government had made. He said LEAs had claimed arresting 13,609 culprits including recovery of the 8469 weapons but continuous increase in terrorist’s activities had placed a question mark on the performance of the security forces. On the other hand, the arrested accused involved in killing of the innocent people were registered against minor offence of 13-D, that had also created doubts about the operations, he said. Talking about terrorists attack on police mobiles in Landhi, he said after the removal of his name from the exit control list (ECL) Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was embarrassed. Afaq said it was not for the first time that his Landhi residence came under attack. He alleged Muttahida activists had placed pickets in the surrounding of his residence and carried out occasional attacks.Blaming Muttahida for its involvement in carrying out attack on police mobiles in Landhi, he demanded of the government to form an investigation committee to probe the incident. Afaq said black sheep from the police department must be flushed out.He further demanded the provincial government to equip LEAs with the latest weapons including modern bulletproof jackets and armored personnel carriers (APC).

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 27-Jan-2014 here.